Dueling Dead
by Yukiji Yonaha
Summary: this story picks up where Dead Date left off and at the end of the Dead in the Family. It has OC's from dead date and will also have Eric, Pam, Victor, Sookie, and her Fae family.
1. Introduction

I sat in my living room and replayed the pivotal two minutes of the day . In my mind, the remembered details could provide hours of description. Those two minutes held so much more than anyone could imagine. Zoom in, the gravel strikes. The verdict is read along with the sentence. The sound of relief and joy- its coming from the other table. The crowd within the courtroom is indifferent, this is evidenced by their lack of outrage and the sound of unhurried movement. No one notices me catch my breath in shock, even though I don't breath. No one else seems to feel that the temperature has dropped twenty degrees. It feels that way for about a minute. Then it rises abruptly, as if the courtroom had become a pit of molten lava, but only I seem to be aware of it.

The eyes of the man who tried to kill me next to a dumpster behind the grab it quick met mine and I see triumph not remorse. The eyes of my would be murderer seem to mock me, as if they are saying " did you really expect anything different?" The eyes of the man who just got 3 years probation in lieu of incarceration for attempting to drain me dry and leave me to meet my final death look away from mine, the way you look away from an infomercial when you realize has turned out to be irrelevant. I don't stop looking at him though, when his attorney follows the verdict up with a petition to the court for a restraining order against me.

It seems his attorney feared I would be a danger to his client. I didn't look away from him when the court granted said petition. It seemed they all agreed I was the dangerous one. They asked me if I understood. I nodded and rose from my chair .My shoulders were squared and my head held high as I exited the court room. They didn't need to see or know the injustice of it all would have frozen my heart if it still beat. Sitting in my living room now I can concede they were right to grant that restraining order. Not that it will do any good. Not that they would have needed it, if only….

If only they hadn't made it so clear that my life counted for nothing to them. Probation for attempted murder. I shake my head at the memory and wonder what it was exactly that I had fought so hard to preserve? When I left the courtroom I left more than my naive belief that justice would be served. Maeve Michaels, the vampire who would die to preserve a human may have been the person to walk in, but Maeve Michaels the vampire was the one who emerged into the balmy Louisiana night. I didn't need a mirror to tell me that my eyes had turned from amber to green, and I knew that my green eyes would be the last thing that blood draining thug would see before he was released from his probation.


	2. Start of Chapter 1

I was sitting in Eric's office at Fangtasia doing the books and plotting the demise of my would be murderer when Eric's personal kryptonite walked in. I was surprised to see her, the last I heard those two where on the outs. She looked just as surprised to see me.

" Hi Sookie, I'm Maeve" we had never actually met before but I knew it was her. She fit the description, blonde, wholesome, beautiful, stacked, with a life force that would dwarf football stadium lighting. Based on what I had just seen flash through her eyes, I decided to add fierce to the description. It wasn't hard to see why Eric was drawn to her. There was something similar about them, about their energy.

" Hi, nice to meet you" she said , her voice as sweet as honey and clothed in a Louisiana drawl. She smiled and nodded and I forced a smiled and nodded back. " Eric asked me to come, they told me I would find him here"

" He will be right back, we were just finishing up the books. Can I get you anything?" like an escort back to your car I added mentally. Eric had a lot on his plate right now, and frankly although I could see why they would make a good couple, Sookie was proving to be a liability. I don't know why all the other Vamps around here were rooting for a reconciliation, I guess they were just hopelessly romantic. Even though I did find applying "hopeless romantic" to Pam a bit of a stretch. Since nearly meeting my final death "for love" I had eschewed all romantic notions and felt romance was for fools. You wouldn't catch me pre-ordering the next Lila Quepas novel or wiling away the hours reading the latest Stefania Lorens Regency Rakes quartet. That was the old me, the one who didn't know any better.

Eric's other vamps all seemed to think that if things got "fixed" between Eric and Sookie things would go back to the way things were and we would have our fearless leader back. I never knew Eric pre-Sookie, but my general sense of it was that if things had gotten this bad it was the result of the Sookie Stackhouse factor, and the only way we were going to get our fearless leader back was for him to tell this quarter fey, sup killing, telepathic bombshell to hit the road. Jerry McGuire might have said " you complete me" but Eric should be saying ":You deplete me" Sharks scent blood and thanks to ms. Stackhouse , Eric was hemorrhaging these days.

"No thank you, I won't be here long" she answered.

We just looked over each other for a second, and then she broke the silence. " You don't like me"

" I thought you couldn't read vampire minds" I said before I thought. " That came out wrong and was rude, I am sorry" I added hastily. " I don't know you, but this mess with your family has caused no end of problems for Eric… I guess what I am trying to say is that " Thankfully, she cut me off, I was rambling and digging my hole deeper with each word.

" It's all right, you don't have to explain. I understand….. I am going to help him… I wont desert him" she said, and I could hear it in her voice. Blood bond or no, which seemed to still be an open question, she cared about Eric and she meant what she said. She wouldn't desert him. In spite of myself, I felt my heart soften towards her a little. Ok, to be honest, she kind of got to me. Blame it on the internal echo of my former push over self.

" I know" I said, and I gave her a genuine smile. I don't know where the conversation would have gone from there because a third presence joined us in Eric's office. Eric himself was standing at the door, and it was obvious he had heard what Sookie said. I had to force myself not to look away from him, from the emotion I could see on his face. Seeing him so vulnerable and unlike himself made me feel like someone had taken my stomach in their hand as they squeezed it into a fist. I didn't even turn off the computer, and focused on keeping my voice neutral, " It was nice to meet you Sookie, good night Eric" Sookie's expression was a mirror image of Eric's. As, I grabbed my Cole Haahn bag and headed for the door I thought to myself, "love sucks". As Eric moved out of the doorway and automatically nodded his farewell to me I caught myself thinking, "God, I hope they work it out". Maybe I would pre-order that Lila Quepas novel after all.


	3. chapter 1 continued

I was walking across the fangtasia parking lot to my car when another vampire nodded at me in passing. I had no idea who he was but nodded my acknowledgement and kept going.

"You are Maeve Michaels" a friendly voice called out behind me. I stopped and turned around.

" Hi, yes I am. Sorry, I am drawing a blank at the moment" I replied, feeling a little embarrassed.

"I am Victor, don't feel bad we haven't been introduced before" he said, in a voice that conveyed "no worries". He didn't have his hand extended for a handshake but there was something about his manner that gave me the impression he did.

" Nice to meet you Victor" I thought of Eric and Sookie and, judging from their expressions, the much desired conversation that would happening between them right now. I thought of how it was going to be interrupted and felt a pang of regret on their behalf. She had said that Eric asked her to come, you would think he could have picked a venue that was more private. You know, like his house. I suppose it was to much to expect that kind of forethought, even from a love struck vampire. My attention snapped back to Victor, he was looking at me expectantly. Had he said something when I wasn't paying attention? Something in my expression must have given away the fact I had missed a beat and wasn't sure what measure of the song we were on, because he spoke again.

"It wasn't supposed to be a trick question" he said and a ghost of a grin appeared on his lips.

" I am sorry, I spaced out. What were you saying?"

" I was just heading in for a drink, care to join me?" he asked (I guessed for the second time).

"thanks for the invite, actually I was just heading out on an appointment. It's a business venture I am looking into, I can't reschedule" didn't want the big cheese from Nevada thinking I was slighting him.

" A business venture, that sounds interesting. Much more interesting than whiling away the hours at Fangtasia" he just stood there looking at me expectantly again. I guess it was my cue to start talking about the venture, but I had my own reasons for wanting to keep it under wraps.

" Not at all. Nothing exciting or important. Paltry in fact, I am sure to someone like you. Well it was very nice to meet you, have a true blood for me" I said and was about to nod when he jumped in with,

"Oh, an opportunity to make money is never paltry. I would like to hear about it but I don't want to make you late for your appointment. You can tell me on the ride over, I might even come in handy at the meeting" his voice still held a handshake in it, but the hand was starting to seem like an iron fist. This seemed a little bold, even for a vampire. I mean, after all we just exchanged names. Why he would give a rats ass about what I was doing and want to tag along was the question of the hour.

" Oh, that is so generous of you, but I am sure you have better things to do. It's to much of an imposition" on me I mentally added, " I couldn't put you through the trouble." I flashed my pageant smile and tried to nod my dismissal but before I could bob my head he said,

" No imposition at all, I insist, lead the way" his voice was deceptively gentle.

Well that settled it, definitely an iron fist, and no way out. Why was I worrying? He wouldn't figure out what I was up to. It was a sound investment, and if he was that hard up for something to do he might as well tag along. It would give me a chance to get to know him a little better. The buzz among the Louisiana vamps was that he was a snake in the grass, but one could hardly count on them to be objective. They were wary of all the Nevada vamps. I can't say that I blame them considering the Nevada vamps had whipped out most of the Louisiana vampire hierarchy during a not so distant hostile takeover of the kingdom.

" You must be really bored, " I laughed and then pointed, " I am over there by the light" Then I turned to lead the way.

The conversation on the ride over was mostly polite small talk. You know, " how long are you in town?", "have you had a chance to enjoy New Orleans?" " Wow, its such unseasonably warm weather we are having?" He was polite enough with his answers , and seemed to be very preoccupied with finding the right radio station. Normally I would have found the channel surfing annoying, but under the circumstances I was relieved. I would have to tell him about the mysterious business venture of course, but I would rather do it when we almost there. That way he wouldn't have to much time to ask questions. I know, I am so paranoid.

We were about a two blocks away when I volunteered the info. " So I am going to look at a crematorium. Based on my initial analysis, it should be a profitable and fairly stable investment" I finished my sentence as I pulled into the driveway and spotted a parking space. The change had done nothing to cure my lead foot.

" Interesting" Victor said. We got out and were greeted at the door by Shamus O'Leary, the current proprietor of the place.

He was a tall man, with very broad shoulders, in his mid forties, with the lanky frame of a boy that had never filled out. Shamus O'Leary had a deathly pallor that one rarely saw in humans. He was so pale you could see a hint of green and purple lines across his face. Those lines were his veins. His eyes were dark pools that appeared to suck light in, and his under eye circles were so deep that they looked like bruises. Mr. O'Leary looked more dead than the undead. It should have been unnerving but for some reason I found the thought amusing.

We got through the introductions, and thankfully, right down to business. He took us on a tour of the place, explained the operation of the furnaces, went over the figures and provided insight into why he was getting out of the business. Everything appeared in order, this was a solid venture and I was about to make my offer when Victor, who had remained silent for most of this, stood up thanked him and let him know we would be in touch. I held my tongue until we got to the car.

" Everything was good to go, I was about to make an offer" I said matter of factly.

"Give it a couple of days, he will bring the price down" Victor said. What he said made sense and seemed like a good strategy, but my philosophy is "if it looks great, why wait". He was trying to be helpful and I didn't want to appear unappreciative so I said,

" Makes sense. Thank you for coming along, and for your help". The ride back to fangtasia was uneventful. Truth be told, aside from the fact he had come along and kept me from making an offer, the whole outing with him was rather uneventful. It didn't make sense. Was he so pressed to find things to do that he was tagging along to mundane business meetings with random vampires? I dropped him off and we agreed to meet for drinks at Fangtasia the next night, then Victor was gone. Once I was out of earshot I called Mr. O'Leary, made my verbal offer, got his acceptance, and told him I was on my way back with the paperwork for his signature.

When I pulled into the driveway of the crematorium I saw Mr. O'Leary at the door, and he wasn't alone.


	4. Chapter 2

"Eric" I said and nodded, trying to keep my expression bland. What the devil was he doing here, I wondered to myself. He was supposed to with Sookie having mind blowing makeup sex in his office. Instead there he stood at the door of the crematorium looking like he had been drawn and quartered and reluctantly sewn back together again. Mr. O'Leary nodded to me in greeting and we headed in. As we walked inside, my thoughts took a different trajectory. How the hell did he know where to find me? When I became a vamp had a locator chip been implanted in my body that had somehow escaped my notice? It was very tempting to run to the nearest airport, go through the scanner machine and demand a copy of the x-ray just to know if that was the case. Instead I forced myself to focus on the matter at hand.

About thirty minutes later I was the proud owner of a crematorium. It felt oddly gratifying to know I had one item on my "Revenge against my Would be killer" to do list ready to be checked off. Oh, I wouldn't need the crematorium for a while, but its always good to start any enterprise with the end in mind. Anyone who has ever been to a Franklin Covey workshop will tell you that. We were heading out of the building, leaving a much wealthier Mr. O'Leary in our wake, when Eric, who had said nothing during the transaction, finally spoke.

"We are getting divorced" he said. His voice was flat and tinged with incredulity. Call me slow, but at first I thought he was telling me that our business partnership was dissolving, so I made a poorly judged attempt at humor and replied " don't we have to be married first?"

He just looked at me like I was vapid for a moment and then I watched his face go from shell shocked to enraged. " Sookie and I are getting divorced!" he yelled. His voice matched the extended fangs and enraged eyes on his face. I have never really feared Eric, but in that one moment I did fear him. Instinctively I recoiled and said the only thing any rational being can say when faced with such a hostile clarification.

" Oh" we just stared at each other for a moment. A moment that was going to either be my last or one I would recall as my latest near miss. I wish I could say I didn't give a rats ass either way, but I am not that sophisticated. If I could still pee I would have wet my pants. That's how bad it was. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on what you might feel about me, it wasn't my day to die. No instead it was my day to witness the one thing that would almost make me wish I had died instead of having to witness it.

Eric's eyes welled up with blood and I just knew extreme measures were called for. Before he could bat an eyelash I jumped him.

For a seasoned warrior like Eric, the incident in the mortuaries parking lot probably didn't rate as a skirmish, but for a rank amateur like myself it was an epic battle. I started with a roundhouse kick and followed up with a couple of right hooks. I managed to get those in since he taken off guard. But once I was aiming my next kick for his groin, his instinct kicked in and about three second later I was kissing the pavement and my left shoulder wasn't in its socket anymore.

"What did you do that for?" He asked. I couldn't tell him the real reason. I am sure " because I didn't want to see you cry" would have been a suicidal utterance. Instead I gave one of those nonsensical reasons that anyone with a penis accepts as valid.

"because you pissed me off asshole" He lifted me up and popped my shoulder back in its socket then said "enough, I need your help. You are a modern woman, I need you to tell me what's going through her head"

Sooo, the divorce had been Sookie's idea. Well the last place I needed to be was in the middle of a domestic situation. I grabbed my shoulder and shot Eric a glare that I hoped would guilt him into abandoning the idea of seeking my insight into the modern woman's psyche. Of course it didn't work, but I had to try. "Fine, lets go to my house and we can talk"

After getting all the nitty gritty detail two things became clear. First, Sookie was aware of the mess Eric was in with the Vampires and felt the way to protect Eric was by disassociating herself from him. Second, Eric had tricked Sookie into marrying him (granted it was a vampire marriage, not one sanctioned by the state of Louisiana, but considering we are talking about vampires, the laws of mere mortals really didn't figure into the equation) because he loved her and wanted to protect her from the other vampires. What a quandary. If he divorced her, his problems would get better but hers would likely just be starting.

Add to that the fact that Eric had decided to coerce rather than court Sookie and it was understandable that she wouldn't exactly believe him when he told her that she would be in danger if they divorced. The blood bond couldn't have been faltering at a worse time. It was obvious he needed to do a couple of things. The first was to stall and the second was to woo. Operation Stall and Woo, that's what was needed.

Unfortunately, Eric didn't agree that he hadn't already done the wooing. It was a very strange conversation that went something like " you have to woo her", " I already did" , " No, really. Paving someone's driveway, exposing her boyfriend for the fraud he is, forging a blood bond under false pretenses, and tricking her into presenting you with a ceremonial knife is not considered wooing. Not by the modern standards, please- take my word for this….. Yes, I understand that in other circles its considered wooing, there was a time when abduction was considered wooing- but not anymore…..fine, that's the insight I have to give. Take it or leave it."

Somehow, the message seeped past the ancient Viking DNA, and found a foothold in that mysterious cosmos called Eric's brain.

" I have to woo her, " he said finally, as if it was a conclusion he had just arrived at- on his own. It took every ounce of self control not to jump his ass again. In fact, since we already know that self control is not my forte, what it actually took was the finger nails on chalkboard effect of his next sentence. " You have to help me"

" OOhhhhh nooooooo. That's where I draw the line" I was shaking my head vigorously.

" Why not?" he asked. It was a fair question and one I couldn't answer honestly. Eric and I are pretty straightforward with each other, but I knew that if I told him I couldn't help him because I was soooo through with relationship drama he would have just lectured me on letting my personal feelings interfere with vampire business. Then I would not have a leg to stand on, because although this was not vampire business, he was my boss which meant that if he said it was- it was and of course he would say it was. I needed something else. Looking at him, I realized that he needed a confidence boost. I came up with an out that hopefully would serve both purposes.

" I couldn't be objective, Eric" I said staring into his eyes as I said it and then lowering my gaze to the floor in a way that I hoped was communicating "demure and harboring secret feelings for you". When I raised my gaze he was looking at me with a blank expression. Rats, undettered I continued.

" I know its Sookie you want, and if I could trust myself to be big enough to help you get her ...I would but I fear that some part of the woman I am…..." I left the rest unsaid and hoped he would fill in the blanks, and again went for the demure harboring secret feelings stance. This time when I looked up I could see he got what I was implying and his expression was even tinged with smug compassion. As if his allure had ever been in doubt- The things we minions have to do to bolster our fearless leaders at times…..

" I understand" he said and pulled me into a gentle embrace. Then he gently stroked my hair and continued, "you have been a big help Maeve. I will manage from here." He released me and turned to go. Just as he reached the door he stopped suddenly, as if aware that he was leaving on too tender a note. He called back over his shoulder, " I expect my usual cut of the crematorium profits and an explanation of why we are suddenly into the business of disposing of bodies" I saw the web of distraction that had clouded him this evening disappear and flicker of realization shine in his eye as he said the last sentence. Not wanting to invite that flicker to grow into a spot light, I hastened to answer.

" Of course" He nodded, and then he was gone.


	5. Chapter 3

The next night started out like any other. I rejoined the living, took a shower, slipped on one of those giant cotton T-shirt/PJ things because I had no clue what I was supposed to be doing tonight. I must have left my attache case in my car and I am lost without my daily planner and notebooks. I was on my way to the kitchen when my feet lost contact with the floor and I found myself learning yet another thing about being a vampire that no one ever tells you about. Just because you don't breath doesn't mean that someone choking you is not a threat. Anyone who thinks decapitation requires weapons is sadly misinformed.

As I dangled, feeling my neck stretch in opposing directions, I was also staring into two tar pits on an ashen and scored landscape that was my attackers face. I should have felt fear. I should have seen my life and after life passing before me. I should have had some thought that made all the other thoughts I ever had seem inconsequential. I should have felt the "a-ha" that we all hope to feel at some point before we kick it, but there was another vamp standing next to my attacker and upon seeing him all I felt was annoyed. My exact thoughts were , " that lazy fuck would have someone else do his dirty work for him". Sad to say, but those would have been my last thoughts.

" That's enough for now" Victor said in a tone so cordial and casual he could have easily been commenting on the weather, as opposed to calling off his dog. The brute who had the appearance of a turned Neanderthal loosened his grip and I fell to the ground. Victor was no longer in the question mark column- I mentally moved him over into the top ten of my "giant a-hole" list.

I scrambled to my feet, straightened my back bone and looked Victor straight in the eye as I demanded in a voice that sounded raspy- " what the hell is this Victor".

Unfortunately, the raspiness of my voice had a dampening effect and instead of sounding like an outraged demand for an explanation from an equal, even to my ears it sounded like the pathetic plea of a peon. That certainly wasn't going to do. I stormed forward into the kitchen, removed an ice tray full of blood cubes from my "freezer" and emptied them into a bowl. Then popped one in my mouth. Victor had followed me, and waited until I turned away from the sink and deposited my bowl of blood cubes on the kitchen counter before he spoke.

" I told you to wait" he said, and without waiting for me to offer him one, he simply reached into the bowl, grabbed a blood cube and popped it in his mouth .How rude! I fought the near irresistible impulse to whack him on the back hard enough to make him spit it out and focused on the matter at hand. The blood cube was doing its job and soothing my throat.

" I didn't hear you say anything " my voice sounded a little better "what is this all about?"

"you are smart girl, Maeve, you should know better than to attempt these games" he grabbed another blood cube out of the bowl. "focus,….focus" I mentally told myself.

"I don't see what intelligence has to do with this, I didn't hear you say anything and I needed something for my throat. Now, what are doing in here and why did one of your minions just try to remove my head from my shoulders?"

He looked at me with a blank expression. Then it was as if a light bulb went off simultaneously for us both. When he said he told me to wait he didn't mean a minute ago.

The right corner of his mouth lifted into what I suppose could be called a half -smile. " I told you to wait on the purchase of the crematorium" he said, and then he did smile.

"you made a suggestion."

I saw a muscle flex in his jaw, " a suggestion from me is an order" he reached for another blood pop and that sent any possibility of a prudent response out of my mind.

" humph, you don't say" .

For the second time that evening, I found myself dangling in the air observing that even though I have no breath to cut off, having a turned Neanderthal's hands wrapped rather firmly around my neck still hurt like hell and I should probably learn to curb my tongue if I wanted to keep my head on my shoulders.

It was petty…I know, if the snake oil salesman in the silk suit (aka victor) wanted a blood cube or two or three without being offered and thought that he was king of the mountain why should I care? If anything , I probably should have felt compassion that he didn't have the manners to know any better and was an arrogant ass. In retrospect, my reply was a little uncalled for and like baiting a bear. Not that my introspection was helping much at that moment.

As I dangled, Victor was ranting on a frequency that my brain was naturally inclined to tune out. Or maybe I couldn't understand what he was saying because the blood flow to by brain being cut off from my brain by the grip of his minion. When the vamp with the tar pits for eyes released his hold and I feel to the floor, Victors words registered.

" When I say jump, you jump" his gaze held me, so I din't bother to reach for blood cube and just rasped out,

"why should I? I didn't pledge my fealty to you Victor, and the last time I checked the only person the Louisiana vamps pledged their fealty to was the king of Nevada- who we both know is not you" TNM (turned Neanderthal Minion) was reaching for my neck again when something changed. Victor must have given him some signal or something because his hand detoured towards mine and he lifted me up onto my feel.

Victor told TNM to heat us up some true bloods, took my hand and placed it in the crook of his elbow and escorted me into my living room. I was to stunned to ask questions and let him lead me along.

" Have a seat" he waved his hand out and gestured toward my couch. Nothing like being offered a seat in your own home to jolt you back into the present moment.

" I like you Maeve. I know you are relatively new to all this, so I am willing to cut you some slack."

I was to stunned again to speak. Victor continued,

" It's simple really- there is a …" he waved his hand around in the air as if conjuring up the right expression " pecking order, a chain of command. Eric reports to me, you report to Eric, therefore you also report to me…. Your sheriff has been remiss in his duties not to have explained all this to you"

That last comment yanked me out of my stunned silence as if someone had waved a bottle of smelling salts under my nose and the smelling salts reeked of skunk. So, he was going to make this about Eric. His smug expression told me would delight in doing so.

"you are mistaken, Victor. Now that I think about it, he did make that clear. I have just been distracted. I realize its no excuse but the fault is mine" TNM walked in the mugs of blood. I noticed there were four of them on the tray but figured the guy just couldn't count. Then I reached for one praying that I sounded as confident and smooth as I thought I did.

" How loyal of you to fall on the knife for him, Maeve." he looked into his mug of blood for a moment as if it were a scrying bowl. "But then again you think you risk little. It's not like I can punish you properly- without convening the Kitsune council. You are counting on them to protect you, but in this case my dear you are in the wrong and it is unlikely they will prevent your punishment for insubordination. Are you willing to risk being chained in silver and buried alive for six weeks. That is what I would demand to atone for your insult." The silence was so pregnant it felt like it gave birth an hour ago.

Being chained in silver and locked in a coffin doesn't scare me, I just zone out and pop into stasis, but that is something only I know. So I tried to appear concerned and scared. I opened my mouth to tell him that under the circumstances it was it was, and to just let me know when to show up for the council meeting but before I could he cut me off.

"I can see how you could have been distracted and, as I mentioned before, I like you Maeve. I might be willing to let this whole matter rest here if you and I were to come to an understanding. There is something you have that interests me, and only you can give it me". His voice was smooth and seductive. His eyes glanced over my body in an assessing manner- but some instinct told me what it was he wanted- and he really wasn't the type of vamp that needed to blackmail women into an "understanding" of a carnal nature.

"Fine, " I let out a heavy sigh and added "I will let you use the crematorium at a discount for say….six weeks. I will print a 20% off coupon now."

Victor simply shook his head and said, " you wound me with your lack of appreciation, Maeve. I will leave here with the deed to the crematorium, and give you a 20% off coupon" he actually smiled when he got to the coupon part.

" I am afraid that can't be" no need to explain that I needed the crematorium to complete my plot for revenge (start with the end in mind) and there was no way in hey I was going to have him knowing when I disposed of the body. " So while I appreciate your kindness, I will take my chances with the council. Just let me know when to show up" I started to rise but TNM pushed me back into the chair.

The muscle in Victor's jaw was flexing again and I honestly don't know what would have happened next if another voice had not joined in the conversation.

" Victor, let me talk to her. We will meet you back at Fangtasia"

Victor nodded and signaled to TNM, when I heard the door close signaling their departure, I asked,

" When did you get here?" I had not heard anyone come in, but my senses- if I am to judge myself by some of my peers, really aren't what they should be.

" I came in when you were emptying the ice tray" Eric answered as he picked up the extra mug of True blood and sat down in the arm chair Victor vacated moments before.

He just sat there looking at me for a while, saying nothing. I reached for a mug and waited for him to speak.

Finally, Eric set his mug down and said, " you have to give it up"

"I am not giving him my crematorium" I said and took a sip of blood.

"I am not talking about the crematorium Maeve" Eric flipped open his cell phone and sent someone a text. Then he popped it back into his pocket.

"then I don't know what you are talking about" and I honestly didn't know.

Suddenly, I heard what sounded like someone putting a set of keys in the front door and turning the lock. Pam strolled in (and no, I never gave her a set of my house keys) , carrying a red leather Dooney and Burke attache case that I recognized right away, and handed it to Eric. She looked at me with an expression that managed to convey amusement and disgust at the same time and left without saying a word.

Eric reached into the attache case and pulled out a red notebook. I mentally noted that anal retentive people who have to write everything down should not forget their attache cases in areas where their nosy "boses" could stumble across them. He lifted a brow as if to inquire- "need I say more" . I was blushing so hard, I am surprised blood wasn't oozing out of my pores.

I started to fly out of my chair to snatch the offending proof of my stupidity from his hands but he lanced me with his sapphire eyes and said in a tone that left no room for challenge " Sit" . Then he began to leaf through the pages of the notebook, saying nothing. When he reached the pages that I had taped the ledger sized flow chart of my revenge plot he actually reached into his pocket, pulled out a pen and began to edit. It was all for show.

I locked my knees together, leaned forward, and gripped the bottom of my couch like my life depended on it. My anxiety was building with each pen mark he was making on the page…I felt like I was going to hurl, which is physically impossible for a vampire. What was worse, the thoughts, being foolish enough to organize them, index them, and flow chart them, or being stupid enough to forget the notebook. ….

" you have to give it up"

Within me a battle between Defiance and mortification raged. Mortification should have emerged the victor but …

"Why? Is my existence not worth more than a PBJ? (probation before judgment- just clarifying that I didn't mean a peanut butter and jelly sandwich) " I was so angry I ran out of the living room, into the hallway bathroom, slammed the door and kicked the commode.

The Porcelain shattered and shards cut into my foot, water went everywhere. I forget how strong I have become sometimes.

"Shiiiit!"

A moment later, the bathroom door flew open and as I turned to look at Eric, I caught a glimpse of what Eric was seeing in the mirror.

Me, jumping around on one foot, holding my bloody foot in one hand, desperately trying to mop up the water with the towel in the other hand, as I uttered a litany of "shit, shit, shit, shit" . He stood speechless for a moment and then the right corner of his mouth twitched and that was it….the wind was knocked out of my sails and I slumped to the ground. It was impossible to be defiant or even attempt the pretense of dignity under such absurd circumstances- we both burst out laughing. When the laughter died down, he came over to me, took my foot in his hand and we started to pull out the shards of porcelain.

Our heads bumped, and as we looked up our eyes met and held. After the longest second of all time, he shook his head and grinned. It was better that we let the moment pass. He was just looking for someone to comfort and offer him comfort - and we both would have regretted it. Well, it probably wouldn't have meant enough to him to him to regret, but I would have regretted it if I had leaned forward a millimeter in invitation.

I was beaten this time, " fine, I will give him the deed to the crematorium- but he will pay full market price. There is a difference between reparation and extortion. I am sure that even within the feudal Vampiric system this is understood…. He doesn't get it for free"

Eric just shook his head and grinned, "Leave it to me. I will meet you at CODA-L tomorrow night. Tonight, I need you to do me a favor. "


	6. Chapter 4

The next night I was sucking on an blood pop , sipping a mug of True Blood O positive and sitting at the counter of Coda-L, my coffee shop. It was open Mic poetry reading and Karaoke night so the place was pretty packed. Cosmo, my first customer was finishing up his second slice of free pie. He smacked his lips together, pushed the plate away, and came over to give me hug goodbye. As he pulled away he said, " Don't worry honey, he will come to his senses and if he doesn't - well he doesn't deserve you. "It was a sweet thing to say so I just smiled and thanked him. Then he was gone.

One of the reasons I had not been popping in at Coda- L much since I returned from Japan was that people were always asking me about Iskander, my latest boyfriend, and wondering if we were back together again. " You guys were just so great together… its gotta work out. He will come to his senses" was a common parting line. If they only knew… he had come to his senses thanks to a little Kitsune magic- and that meant he would be avoiding me for the rest of his life. Don't be fooled by the propaganda- dead/undead relationships don't work out in the long run. One of the parties has to change- and since the undead can't change ….. Well you do the math. Only date a Vamp if you want to be a Vamp.

When I gave up Iskander , I gave up more than I had bargained for, its like something was stripped away from me. My changing eye color and streak of white hair may were the least of it. I had changed. It was impossible to remain the same once I lost that misguided belief that love conquers all, that it always finds a way. I knew better now. Love was an emotion that cost more than I could afford. Iskander wasn't my latest boyfriend he was my LAST boyfriend. If where I was at on the subject of "Amore" were turned into a T-shirt, it would have Byron's poem "To Romance" on the back of it , and "Live Bites" on the front (no pun intended).

A little voice in the back of my head seemed to whisper- "foul-not true, it wasn't love that fell short - you always chose- when push came to shove "us" got kicked to the curb in favor of "you". Refusing to let my internal monologue turn into an argument about what constituted a choice, I ruthlessly snuffed that little whisper out like a candle. I mean come on, the evidence was everywhere- even if you ignored my circumstances, look at Eric. Love was like a pint of bad blood that corroded major arteries.

That little favor Eric had asked me to do last night …. Instead of operation "Stall and Woe", I was part of operation "Stalk and Eschew". If Eric was to be believed last night, he was done with Sookie Stackhouse. He wasn't going to return her calls (not that she had made any yet-after all it had only been what, a day or two), see her, or talk to her anymore. She had made her decision and that was that. He mentioned something about being Eric Northman, alluded to the fact there were no shortage of women -dead or alive-and if she didn't appreciate what he offered then , she could have her "Ericless" existence. Good riddance. It was a pretty convincing performance, and if his favor had not been for me to go over to the Stackhouse place to "keep an eye on things and be on hand in case she needs you" I might have believed for a nanosecond…..when I pointed the inconsistency he went on and on (which is totally out of character) about how she was still in danger and it was his moral obligation to see that she was protected. Uh-huh.

Now I was sitting here waiting for him so I could provide my report, which, frankly is so yawn worthy I wont bore you with it. Well that, and to find out how badly I got screwed on the crematorium deal. Deciding to focus on the positive I told myself that being doomed to an eternal loveless existence might just be the best thing that ever happened to me. Yeah, it was great to have all this time to focus on the important things like making money, plotting revenge, stalking my bosses estranged wife, and pissing off self important vampires with unattractive henchmen. Hey, I still had my head on my shoulders and no one to think about except me- what more could any one want out of life? Abruptly, My self congratulatory thoughts were interrupted with the realization that there was absolutely no noise in Coda-L. That was odd.

I began to turn around when something in my peripheral vision caught my attention because it was out of place. It was the super high gloss and superb workmanship of a pair of very large riding boots. The sight of them caused me to halt mid motion and assess things with a sideways glance. My eye followed the super shinny line-(Where those Hessians? Did they still make Hessians?) to its end where the tightest pair of skinny jeans started, tan skinny jeans. My eye kept traveling upward, and you know- I should have realized when I could practically see the veins throbbing in the most "well formed" thighs, male thighs, I have ever seen- that it was time to stop with the sideways glancing, turn around, and skip to the face. But my eye did what was natural and kept moving upwards until I reached that area just below the waistline, then my eyes widened in surprise and the words "Oh my God" slipped out of my mouth as I thought them. I turned my head back to its starting position, facing away from it, I mean him. My words seemed to break the spell and people started talking again.

A deep baritone voice that held a trace of amusement and an unmistakable British accent asked, " Did you say something?" I could feel his presence behind me -large, masculine and unnerving. Never one to cower,

I turned in my bar stool to face him. He must have moved closer because when my bar stool stopped I found myself at eye level with a bulge that couldn't have been more pronounced if it had been shrink wrapped. I forced myself to blink and made sure that when my eyes opened again they were aimed at his head- the one on his shoulders.

I almost said "Oh my God" again as I took in a square jaw, well formed asymmetrical lips (the lower was fuller than the upper ),and a nose that I can only describe as aristocratic. Just above that nose were grey blue eyes that were so cold they appeared silver, and they were only accented by the long black eyelashes and well arched ,but unquestionably masculine, black eyebrows. His hair was glossy and black like an Arabians coat and he wore it in a style that looked a lot like the hair on the bust of Beethoven I have sitting on my piano. It was wild , unruly, and just perfect. It was the biggest cliché ever- but his face really looked like that of a sinning angel. The face of a sinning angel perched on top of the shoulders of a line backer and a torso that was a just one giant muscled V.

His clothes were modern- skinny jeans instead of breeches- tailored black cashmere sports coat, cream colored silk scarf with a tie tac in it (a very large pigeons blood ruby tie tack) but the effect was unquestionably one of a bygone era. "Regency Rake"- the word flitted across my mind. Predictably like the heroines of the Regency Romances I was always reading - my mouth went dry, my nipples hardened, and there was a burning sensation in a place that would be to crude to mention. Unlike the heroines in the books however, I had chucked my virginity decades ago and new what lust felt like- although I have to admit this was taking it to a whole different level. Did Sato,Eric,or Iskander have this effect on me when I first saw them? Sato did, physically- but there was one huge difference here. This guy was just sooooo much, too much- too masculine, too handsome, too stylish, too…. everything. Maybe it was the bulge, I don't know- I disliked him on sight.

"Like what you see?" he asked. His tone of voice was, of course was playful and seductive. He punctuated his question with a raised eyebrow and a boyish smirk. I tried to come up with something witty to say - but all I managed was ..

" Try not to split your breeches when you sit down" He laughed and pulled out the stool next to mine and had a seat- guess he interpreted my rude comment as an invitation. Polly was over asking him what he wanted before his butt landed on the stool, and there was no ripping sound, so I guess his pants must have been made of a cotton/spandex blend.

"Hi, I am Polly….. Um, what can I get you?" her voice had a tell tale tremor and was an octave higher than normal. She looked so flustered I thought she was going to start giggling. In the mirror I noticed a woman trip over her own feet when she caught a glimpse of Regency Rake. It was a bit of a relief to know that I wasn't the only person to be affected by this guys "charms" and I guess he was used to it because he seemed oblivious to the commotion he was causing. He answered Polly's question- "Royalty Blend…"

"All we have here is True Blood" I interrupted inwardly grimacing at my second act of rudeness in the span of 45 seconds.

" True blood then, O positive" he answered cordially.

"Maeve, I take it?" he asked as he turned to face me.

" Why do you think I am Maeve?" I snapped. What was my problem- there was no call for bad manners, and it was common knowledge in the vampire community that Maeve (me) owned this coffee shop. I was the only other vampire in the place…. .

"you have a red notebook, I am told you never leave home without it" was his reply. It took a great effort but I didn't laugh. I did have my new red notebook on the counter next to my cup of blood.

"Ahh, Eric sent you. How can I help you mr? "

"Just call me Roxborough"

"Sure, Mr. Roxborough and you may call me Ms. Michaels" I didn't deliberately mean to put distance between us, it was just instinctive.

"As you wish, Ms. Michaels, but Roxborough is my title not my name so there is no need to append the Mr., Roxborough will do"

"Good you are both here" We nodded at Eric and since he had spoken and headed for an empty both we both got up and followed him. He picked the booth that was right next to the speaker. No one sat there because it was to noisy to hold a conversation. It wouldn't be a problem for us though. Eric took a seat, and Regency Rake took the seat next to me. When he got in his leg brushed against mine and I instinctively scooched over and rammed my pocket book between us, so the contact would not be repeated.

"Are they still there?" Eric asked. It took me a second to realize he was asking about Sookie's uncle and cousin. I kept my thoughts to myself and shoved my notebook between my leg and my purse so that now my notebook and purse were between me and Roxborough.

"Yes, Claude and Dermot are still there" I answered. Eric just looked at me expectantly. I guess he wanted a play by play.

"um, Claude left around nine. I am not sure if he is still living there, he might have just been there for a visit. In fact, Dermot might have just been visitng to, he and Sookie made a bowl of microwave pop corn, sat in the living room and watched TV. Then they went to bed"

"Together?"

"at the same time, I don't know where they slept- I was sitting in a tree and saw them leave the living room after turning off the lights. That's all I know. "

"You should have been able to tell if they went to separate rooms by the lights that got turned on" Eric commented absently.

Exasperated I answered," maybe if I had stuck around long enough to see I would know but as it was, there was really nothing to indicate a threat to Sookie and her uncle was with her, so when they left the living room I vacated the branch of the tree I was perched on"

Eric did not look pleased.

"You should have stayed all night. I expect a more detailed report next time Maeve" Eric said.

Since we had another person present, I tried to adopt the expression appropriate to a reprimanded minion and said, "It was my mistake, and I wont repeat it." but a lack of sincerity has always tasted foreign and sour on my toungue. It must have showed because Eric held my eyes longer than he needed to and I could see when he decided to let it pass.

There was a pause so I decided to get my business on the table-

" Victor?" It seemed a good way to start, if he didn't want to talk about it in front of Roxborough he could just say something like "he is fine" or "he sends his regards" or some other nonsense.

"twenty cents on the dollar, just sign this" He pushed a contract toward me with a yellow sticky note arrow that pointed at a signature block.

"That's highway robbery- I will take option b, six weeks chained in silver." I whipped out my cell phone and added " I will talk to Obachan and call the council meeting myself"

He put his hand over mine before I could dial and stated.

" Its done Maeve, just sign."

This was painful, I had enough money that the financial loss wouldn't be a blip on my radar but it still hurt. It was like having to mortgage boardwalk during a game of Monopoly. Before I could work up the nerve to tell him I had more time than money (Eric has no idea how much money I really have- and that is as it should be. It's by Kitsune design. Most of my assets were in a trust the vampires could never touch, they wanted to make sure I was set for my after life.), he shoved the pen at me, and tapped his finger over the arrow.

I sat there doing nothing for a moment trying to think four or five moves ahead on the imaginary chess board. If I didn't sign - Victor would find a way to turn this back onto Eric- and I had pledged my fealty to Eric. I had to sign- it was direct order. If I didn't, it might not take more than two moves to find myself out of the game. But then again…..If I did sign, it was basically an invitation for them to come up with imaginary offenses that required me being divested of property as compensation. Which ever way the pieces moved, it looked like I was screwed on some level . There was no point in making a big stink about it. But... I did have more than myself to think about.

" I will sign this but I want a clause added to it- the old owner is mine. Victor can't deal touch him" the least I could do was protect him. The man wanted to retire, that's why he was selling the place and I wouldn't put it past Victor to decide he needed to keep the man involuntarily employed.

Eric shook his head and grabbed the contract. He flipped it back a couple of pages and pointed to section XIII.

"It's already there" I said, happy and surprised.

" I told you I would take care of it"

"Thanks" I picked the pen up and signed. Then added, "this is bullshit" just for good measure.

"Well, Roxborough- you see what I mean" Eric said as he pocketed the signed contract.

Roxborough nodded, "It is worse than you described"

"Exactly, now you see why I called for you. So you will do it then? She needs help"

"Yes, but once I do this my debt is cleared" Roxborough answered.

I guess Eric had switched the conversational gears. The "she" they were talking about had to be Sookie. Even though, if you asked me, based on the little exchange Roxborough had witnessed, the person who needed help was Eric. It was simple really, they just needed to figure out what they felt, what there options were, and then decide. I know it seems like they had decided but they still had alot of unresolved issues and the way they were going about it wasn't going to solve anything. Although, come to think of it, I have no idea what Roxborough was goingto be able to do to help- I hoped his role in all this was to be the one perched on the tree branch. I was definitely not cut out to be a stalker.

" agreed" Eric said and then he turned his attention back to me.

" I have a favor to ask of you Maeve. Roxborough is going to be in town taking care of something for me, and I need a place for him to stay. You have plenty of room"

Just as I was about to tell Eric what I thought, it occurred to me that this was the second time he had asked something of me as a favor, as opposed to telling me what to do. Was this his way of letting me know he valued and respected me? My spirits lifted a little at the thought. If it was, it would be wrong of me to oppose him at every turn and make things difficult. I didn't really like Roxborough, but my house was pretty big, and he would probably be over at the Stackhouse place most of the time, so it seemed like this would be a good opportunity for me to show Eric that I appreciated his consideration by just saying yes for a change. I needed to score some brownie points after the whole "notebook" incident.

" Sure, that's not a problem at all Eric. " I said and smiled. He smiled back and said, "Come on Victor is waiting for us at Fangtasia"

"Can I count on you to help Roxborough and act as his guide?" Eric asked as we were leaving.

"Of course" I answered, thinking that lending Roxborough my GPS should cover it.

Eric raised a brow- geez, was me being agreeable such a strange occurrence then? Then he added,

"Things may get …complicated. I know that you can take care of yourself Maeve, but do you think you could find it within yourself to allow him to protect you. It would set my mind at ease" Eric added.

Wow, Eric must really value and respect me more than I realized. It pleased me to think we were making progress and that he thought I could take care of myself . It felt like he was giving me my due and in front of others… I mean Eric and I get along great , I count his a friend but we do have a boss/minion dynamic to our relationship. He was treating me like an equal and in front of another vampire. I was beaming when I answered.

"If it will set your mind at ease, of course he can protect me if there is call for it" I answered.

"So you will accept his protection? I need to hear you say it, I don't want there to be room for misunderstanding" Eric said as he opened the door of my car.

" I did just say it" I answered, confused. "I did just accept his protection" I said again for good measure. At that Eric smiled and I wasn't sure but it seemed him and Regency Rake, aka Roxborough shared a satisfied look.

"Great, then we will meet you there" He shut the door and they headed towards his car.


	7. Chapter 5

Fangtasia was a mob scene- it seemed fangbangers were increasing in number. If things kept going at this rate being a fangbanger wasn't going to mean you were out on the fringes of society anymore. It would become mainstream- the thought made me shudder involuntarily. People can try to sanitize all they want but to be fangbanger is essentially be a slave. I wondered when people would get over their awe with vampires as the new "super humans" and realize the threat to their inalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness- the undead posed. I can't help it, a part of me will always be inclined to want be a predictor of doom and gloom and to want to save the world. The human world (minus one drainer).

Fortunately, the fact that I wasn't dressed for fangtasia didn't matter to much since we headed straight back to Eric's office. Victor was already there, but there was no sign of TNM. Guess Victor left him in his coffin.

We all took our seats and if you had been an innocent bystander there is no way you would have guessed that just the other night Victor had ordered his minion to practically decapitate me. He greeted me like an old friend. Guess its easy to be gracious when you are putting the screws to someone, if it had been me in his position I would have been to ashamed to show my face. I can't say that I was surprised by his greeting, however.

Eric handed me the papers to pass to Victor, which I did even though Victor was sitting right next to me so it didn't make much sense. As I passed Victor the papers that gave him my cremation, Eric reached into his desk drawer and pulled out an envelope.

"Maeve, pass this to Roxborough" he said as he shoved it in my direction. Roxborough was sitting right next to me too, and I was starting to get annoyed that Eric couldn't exert himself to stretch the extra , but it didn't really matter so I took the envelope and passed it over.

" Great, its almost wrapped up then." Victor said. His AU made an appearance and I could tell that Victor was pleased about something. Then he started to add, " and the " but Eric cut him off by saying,

" The other matter is almost finalized. In fact, you can even witness it" he reached into his drawer again and handed me what looked like an antique dagger, "present this Roxborough" . I don't know why, at the time I just assumed it was an oversized letter opener. I mean, Roxborough was holding a closed envelope so it seemed a natural assumption.

" Here you go" I said as I handed it Roxborough, he nodded at me solemnly as he took it, so I figured whatever was in the envelope must be important. He probably didn't need us all staring at him while he opened it so in an attempt to be polite and offer a distraction I asked Eric, " that's a really cool letter opener, where did you get it?"

Victors ears seemed to perk up like a hound scenting a rabbit, and his AU looked gleeful. Before Eric had a chance to tell me about the letter opener Victor asked, " Maeve, did you agree to accept Roxborough's protection?" The question was weighted with an importance that seemed out of place to me. Furthermore, it seemed odd ,since presumably Roxborough would be "protecting" me from Victor or one of his minions. To be honest, my dealings with Victor had made me believe he was a little more circumspect. I didn't think he would assess the lay of the land, so to speak ,with a direct question. Still I was on the spot so I answered,

" ah, yeah I agreed to accept his protection" I was going to append, if the occasion should arise and not that I really needed it, but Victor cut me off with another question.

"and you will be residing under the same roof.." now he seemed determined- as if he wanted to catch me in a lie.

"Uh, well that's kind of a formal way of putting it - I mean" and before I could add that as a favor to Eric I agreed to let Roxborough be my houseguest for a couple of days Eric cut me off,

" Just answer Yes or No Maeve. Is Roxborough going to be staying at your house" he sounded cool and collected but his AU made an appearance and that made me very nervous. I felt like someone walking across a frozen pond and the ice was less than a millimeter thick.

" Well, yeah you know he is going to " he cut me off again with a curt "thank you" before I could add- be staying with me a couple of days.

Eric looked at Roxborough now and said, " Present the dagger back to Maeve" The letter opener frightened me now. I didn't want to take it from Roxborough but everyone was staring at me expectantly and I wasn't sure what they were waiting for.

Instinctively, I felt that I should refuse to pass the dagger back to Eric, but I noticed for the first time that his eyes were just as intense as Victors and it was as if he was willing me to take the damn letter opener from Roxboroughs hands. I grabbed the letter opener and practically flung it at Eric- before I could ask what the hell was going on Victor said to Eric, "congratulations, I didn't think you could pull it off-great job" he smiled, then he turned to me and Roxborough and said " congratulations to you both" and he got up and left.

"Why did he just congratulate me?"

It was all explained to me, and to my credit I did not freak out, start hurling accusations of betrayal, etc. ,etc.

As I was told that I had just married Roxborough, I simply pointed out that I didn't think the marriage was legally binding. It was brought to my attention that the vampires were a law unto themselves and that yes, it was binding. To which I could only reply "oh".

You may be wondering- why? What purpose would it serve to trick me into marrying anyone. I was wondering the same thing , but the readers digest explanation (which was really the only one I got to) was that it had come to the attention of the powers that be that I had an extensive number of strategic holdings.

(And the kicker here is that they only know about the stuff that is not in Trust with the Kitsunes). I had construction companies, metal works, transportation businesses, "human facing" establishments, and a couple of mines (gold and silver have been at an all time high). They could have overlooked all this, I was told, if I had not purchased the crematorium.

Apparently, the moment I started acquiring things that could wipe out other vampires, my wealth and the fact that I had the protection of the Kitsune Treaty behind me, made me a threat. It had never occurred to me that anyone would think I bought the crematorium to do away with other vampires- probably since the thought of doing that had never crossed my mind.

To make matters worse, I didn't fit in. It was known that I lived off the bottle until I needed to supplement with real blood and then would only go to willing doners and that I didn't engage sexually with any of them. Recent Revenge plot aside, it was known that I was vampire who would choose put humans first, that I looked out for them. Almost as bad, it was well known that although my businesses were doing very well they would be doing much better if someone other than me were running them. I tended to be to sympathic at times. Add to that the fact that I didn't seem to understand my "place" and was an independent thinker who would taunt them to throw me in chains (their description not mine) and it came to one bottom line. They saw a loose cannon with to much money (aka power), to much freedom, and to much support. They needed a way to bring all the assets into their fold and mitigate the risk (aka -me) by putting me under someone's "protection", someone who could discipline me without dealing with the Kitsune council.

Suprisingly, at least it was a surprise to me, the vampires weren't quite as advanced as people when it came to the politics of sex. Yes there were powerful women- like Sofie Ann the queen of Luisianna, but that was inspite of the fact she was a woman. She had the cunning and smarts to reach the top of the male dominated mountain. For many of the Undead, the mentality was still pre "the vindication of the rights of women". The reason this is somewhat pertinent is that the Kitsune's to a certain extent followed the same tennants and neither Vampire law nor Kitsune Treaty could prevent a husband from "disciplining" his wife.

Eric made a point of telling me he did not agree with the powers that be, and that he had picked Roxborough to mentor and protect me. Roxborough and Eric had their own agreement, although I wasn't made privy to the details.

Some things are too absurd to even discuss, so when they explained all this to me, I didn't say anything. If anyone thought they were going to get me to toe the line I hadn't crossed in the first place with archaic bullshit they were welcome to dream on.

Up to this point I had tried what came naturally to me, direct and honest communication- and this is where it had landed me, "married" to a stranger, albeit a gorgeous one. It was time for stealth. I could have explained to Eric that the vampires were not going to get a hold of anything I couldn't afford to loose because 95% of what I owned was in trust- and the Kitsune had put it there forseeing some vampire manuever to get a hold of my assests. I knew they were protected from my "spouse" because they thought my "spouse" would likely be Sato, and while he is a TKO as well, he is not entirely trusted (he had me turned, after all) .

I could have told him that if anyone thought I was to rich (read powerful) based on what they knew , well then they had really underestimated me. I could have told him that Roxborough was welcome to chain me up in silver anytime I pissed him off and it wouldn't do him any good. There were a lot of things I could have told him, but for once I held my tongue. While I doubted what Eric had done would affect me to much in the long run, the fact that he had done it didn't sit well with me. Even after he told me why he did it, I still wasn't feeling the way I used to about him.

Eric explained, not that he had to ( as he had pointed out ), that the way this was supposed to play out was that he wouldn't be able to get me to accept "protection" and then he would be the one chained in silver. Victor had laid the marriage clause as part of the deal essentially to send Eric on a fools errand and get him where he wanted him. With Eric out of the way, for the reasons I have already explained, the Nevada vamps would insist that I have the "protection " of someone they chose.

So, really, Eric had not betrayed me. He had simply been Eric, and outmaneuvered them. When I pointed out to Eric that a "marriage clause" was ridiculous and he should have just said "chain her up, or convene the council" he just looked at me like I was an idiot. So I guess there was something more to it that I just don't know about, and its probably better that way. These guys play such a deep game I am surprised they can keep up with layer they are in.

It was time to take lessons from the master, I told myself, and so as all this was being explained I listened , and asked questions, and kept my opinions to myself. It wasn't easy, I will tell you that. Before we left the office I did have to clarify one point-

"this is a marriage in name only" I said, and since I had no emotion in my voice Eric knew I wasn't going to negotiate this point. I don't know why it so important for me to announce that I was not having sex with Roxborough- but it was, so I did.

" you wound me Maeve, but if that is how you want it, that is how it shall be." Roxborough said, and then he added " you are always welcome to change your mind" in a playful and seductive purr and he winked at me.

I ignored the hardening nipples and the rest of the reaction my body was having and said simply " That's good to know" rolled my eyes and then got up and began to leave. Before I was out the door I said over my shoulder,

"Eric since you have arranged everything else, I am sure you can arrange for my houseguest to get situated in my home" the emphasis was on the MY and then I left before anyone could answer.

I didn't get in my car, and I didn't go home. I just ran through the woods and tried to think or I should say, tried not to think. Before I realized it I was at the Stackhouse residence. I don't know why I went there, maybe because a part of me realized that the only person who could understand what it was like to be dupped in this way was sitting inside, eating a T.V. dinner and watching re-runs of something on HBO. I didn't really know Sookie well enough to talk to her about this, though, and I didn't want to add another log to the fire that was burning under her ass ( the Divorce fire), so I just popped myself back onto the branch of the tree I had occupied the night before. For the first time in a long time, I thought of Sato.

I thought of how we had parted on amicable terms in Japan. I remembered Obachan saying that he hadn't given up on us, he was just giving me space. I wondered how he would react to this unexpected news. I wondered if he would believe I had been tricked, and that I meant it when I said I was done with love. Would he believe me when I told him that it was a marriage in name only? Then I wondered why I cared- it wasn't like I was going to marry Sato, or like I owed him any explanations after all.

Then my mind took a more practical turn, and I wondered how long I would I have to pretend to be "normal" before I could seek a divorce. A month? Six? A year? I decided it might not be better to wait at all or try to pretend to be normal, it would probably be best to seek an annulment? Could I do that? and how I would go about such a thing? I made an note to myself in my notebook to check into the matter ASAP and sat there doing nothing for the rest of the night.

When the first hints of dawn began to color the sky, I dug myself a hole and buried myself in it. It wasn't the safest or the best thing to do, but it didn't matter. I didn't want to go home, and I didn't want to be found, and I had lingered to long. Yes, I thought to myself- I have lingered to long-and then I check out and went to that place vampires go to await the next nightfall. The place I can never really know or remember.


	8. Chapter 6

I dug myself out of my hole the next evening and since I have never been a big fan of dirt, decided I better go home to take a shower. There were black lines under my fingernails and that just wouldn't do. I had just walked into my foyer my when the low sound of moaning drew my attention to the dining room .Curiosity preceded common sense and I headed in that direction only to be greeted by the sight of Roxborough and a buxom red head having breakfast. Well, actually Roxborough was having breakfast and as you have probably surmised, breakfast was the buxom red head. These old guys are such sticklers for so many things, why couldn't decorum be among them. Not that I would be having my neighbors over for dinner or anything- but some things just shouldn't take place on the dinning room table.

Before I could retreat Roxborough looked up and said, "there you are my dear" he scrutinized my appearance and added, " I am sure you will wish to freshen up and dress before breakfast". I suppose that was him being tactful, yes I looked a mess- never mind I knew this was a natural red head even though I didn't even her name.

"Yes, as a matter fact- " I tried to find a tactful way of telling him to keep his shenanigans out of any common areas and preferably off premise, but couldn't come up with on at the moment so I just came out and said" In the future, I would appreciate it if you would entertain your guests somewhere other than my home" It came out sounding a little sharper than I had intended.

He was saying something when I left but I wasn't interested and didn't bother to pretend otherwise by sticking around.

"ahhhhh" I sighed with pleasure as I reached for my crabtree and Evelyn lavender soap. The steam was heavy in the air and the lather was like silk on my skin. I finished rinsing off and then reached for my shampoo. This was living, I told myself. No matter what bizarre things were going on in my life, there was one thing I could always count on- the soul soothing effects of getting squeaky clean. Unconsciously I began to sing,

"cleeeean, the cleanest I have beeeeen. Put an end to the tears and the inbetween years and the troubles I have seeeeen- now that I'm Cleeeean…." I was bent over, rinsinging the shampoo off the back of my hair when I thought I heard Roxborough say " You will not walk away from …" and then the sliding glass door that had been closed slid abruptly open. I looked back over my shoulders to confirm what had to be a figment of my imagination only to be faced with the sight of Roxborough staring -he stopped mid sentence. Aware now that my butt was facing him and I was bent over… I straightened turned to face him quickly and slid the glass door shut in his face. I hope he hadn't seen much. Why oh why, I mused to myself could I not have been turned after getting a tummy tuck? Realizing that my thoughts betrayed that I wanted Roxborough to find me attractive, I got irritated and barked out the obvious-

"Whatever it is you want to talk about can wait until after I shower and dress, Roxborough" when I got to his name, I used the tone I usually use when someone cuts me off in traffic and "a-hole" slips out.

Just then there was a nock at the door. What was this? Who else was here? And when did the bathroom loose its status as a "sacred space"?

"My Lord, there are some gentlemen at the front door asking for the Lady" a woman's voice said. She had a British accent.

" See them to the parlor and offer them refreshment" Roxborough answered.

Instead of the sound of retreating footsteps there was a single footstep and then, " my Lord, all we have in the house is blood and I doubt they will be wanting that"

Then another voice, this one male " We will see to it right away your lordship. Your ladyship, they are growing impatient and I fear they will come up and intrude on your bath"

"thank you charles, I will handle this" Roxborough called out to the door and then he called out to me, "finish and then meet us downstairs" and I heard him leave.

I rinsed the rest of the shampoo out of my hair, hopped out, dried off and debated whether I should "dress for company" or just put on what I had brought in and set on the counter- a pair of the jeans and t-shirt with a rabbit on front that read, " I am cute lets put me in charge" written on the front of it. I decided to go with what was on the counter and wondered who had ironed my t-shirt.

Then I started to laugh, thinking of the expression on Roxboroughs face when I unintentionally mooned him. I didn't put enough stock into the beauty of my buttocks to believe that they had rendered him speechless- that red head probably had buns of steel. I stopped laughing. Well, whatever had left him speechless, he got nothing less than he deserved. Who the hell just walks in on someone while they are taking a shower? I slammed my hairbrush down on the bathroom counter and pulled my hair up into a pony tail, and then applied my lip gloss as if it were a balm for my wounded sense of vanity and headed out the door.

I didn't make it to the living room. I had just made it to the staircase when I became aware of a commotion and had a head on collision with a sherriff's deputy and a pair of silver handcuffs.

" you have the right to remain silent…."

"what's this?" I asked.

He didn't' bother to answer and just kept going. He was strong and I don't know why, but I got the impression he was a new member of the undead. Call me crazy but I got distracted wondering if he had been turned in the line of duty. As I was wondering, he was leading me down the stairs and out the door. He had me in the back of the patrol car before he was done reading me my Miranda rights.

As the patrol car turned out of my driveway, I looked back at my house and saw Roxborough, a middle aged blonde vamp, and a short portly vamp standing at the door. It was a surreal sight, but it didn't surprise me. How could it- the whole evening had been surreal and I still hadn't had breakfast.

Some nights, you should just stay in whatever hole you buried yourself in, I mused to myself as we got on the highway.

_xxxxxxxx_

The long and the short of it was that I had been avenged. This would have been cause for celebration, since my own plot for revenge had hit a road bump, but there was a fly in my celebratory ointment. That fly was that although I hadn't done the crime-it looked like someone was trying to arrange it so that I would do the time.

I am not sure what made them think I had done the deed. They weren't exactly sharing information with me. We got as far as my whereabouts last night and it pretty much went downhill from there.

It seems that my interrogator didn't want to take my word for where I was. I couldn't really fault him, stating you were sitting on a branch in a tree in Bon Temps and that you crawled into a hole at dawn does sound a little fishy. It was the truth, however, and when he got forceful about it I pointed out that I had not been allowed to make my one phone call. He snorted and made no reply. I didn't press the issue- never interrupt your enemy when they are making a mistake- to quote Napoleon. I wasn't sure how the cards were stacked at this point, and as much as I hate to admit it, I wasn't averse to enabling "technicalities" that could lead to the dismissal of my case. It may seem like a stretch, but it happens all the time, if yahoo news is to be trusted. Anyway, after his snort I decided I had nothing to share with him.

We had been sitting in the interrogation room for a couple of hours with me saying " I plead the fifth" in two minute intervals when my inquisitor (that's how I thought of him) was called away. Being charged with murder is not something to take lightly, but it wasn't my most pressing concerns at that moment. I had not had any blood since waking that evening and my inquisitors jugular had been calling my name for at least twenty minutes before he left the room. I needed to think about something other than blood. It wouldn't help my case if I lost control and made him an unwilling donor. The minute hand of the big round clock on the wall jerked forward and made a clicking sound.

I took in my surroundings. Not much to see. I pulled my fangs back in. The minute had jerked forward again . I wondered if they would make me wear an orange jump suit. At that thought, my fangs made a reappearance. The minute hand jerked forward again. I wondered if anyone was going to get me a pair of shoes or if I was going sit here with wet hair and bare feet all night. I wondered if there was an intercom so that I could tell them the next person walking thru the door better bring a bottle of true blood…..

It was my good fortune that the first "person" who walked through the door was Roxborough and he had a bottle of blood in each hand. I practically inhaled them- and plopped the bottles down on the steel table. A hand extended to take them away, and when I looked to see who it was I found myself looking into the face with my inquisitor. He had his poker face on, but his AU was screaming in disgust.

Something white was waving in my peripheral vision. I turned and saw a hanky, and then followed the hand that was holding it until I was looking up at Roxborough discreetly rubbing his chin. I took the hint.

A third "man" was in the office, It was Mr. Catalides, an well known attorney for the undead. Some words were exchanged, and then I was sent back to the holding cell until a judge could be found so that we could request bail.

Roxborough posted the bail, and then Catalides gave me the skinny. There were a few reasons the police thought I had killed my would be drainer.

Exhibit A- one corpse drained of blood

Exhibit B- fang marks

Exhibit C- One red Leather notebook with a flow chart for murder in it. ( and did I mention it had my name and address in it)

It piqued my pride that anyone could think I would be so stupid. I would never leave a notebook at the scene of the crime - and there was no way the notebook could be mine. Eric had it, and aside from the fact that I trust Eric, there would be zero benefit for him to frame me for murder. In fact, there would be zero benefit for anyone to frame me for murder. I mean why would anyone bother. Come on- I am not that important.

I was so absorbed in my thoughts, that I don't remember the ride home. When the door just opened and someone handed my house slippers the bizarreness didn't even register as a blip on my radar. I just took them, nooded and put them on then walked into the living room. Roxborough followed. I turned and said, "this doesn't make any sense. The marriage, framing me for murder…..why would anyone bother?"

"you are powerful- you are threat" Roxborough answered, as if it were obvious.

"No" I contradicted, " I am rich, but I am sure that is not an anomaly among the undead- most of you have had centuries to amass wealth. The fact that there is a treaty protecting me is just that- its protecting me from being singled out and destroyed because I am different. It is meant to level the playing field. And to be a threat you need to care about power and wielding it - which -I don't. Well, I mean - I don't care about wielding power as long as no one is trying to wield theirs on me. I don't play offense, I don't even want to play defense. In fact, I don't even want a seat in the bleachers, its enough for me to know there is a game in town so I can avoid it and go about my business. How could I be a threat? Someone's playing games here and they have decided to pick on me because I am the weakest link….." It had to be Victor.

"or the two things are not connected at all. But you are deluding yourself, you not only want a seat in the bleachers, you want to be the referee. "Roxborough said. His eyes were locked onto me and my mind took a slight detour toward his lips. I shook my head and regrouped.

"Why would you say that?" I was really curious.

" You seem to cry foul enough and like to define the rules of play- for yourself and for those you care about" I didn't really know Roxborough very well, but his voice sounded playful and his yes seemed to have lights dancing in them. Amusement? Maybe I had misjudged him.

"Thank you, by the way" I said and smiled. He had handled everything better than I could have, and I really had not been looking forward to calling Eric for help after the little pot shot I fired the last time we talked.

"There is no call for thanks Maeve" he stepped towards me and we stood toe to toe. Then he leaned down and his lips were a pucker away from my ear, " after all" he said softly, " you are my wife".

And with those words, the playful moment was gone and for the first time that evening I was afraid.


End file.
